Schools have been told that Parent-Teachers Associations (PTAs) will have to bear all expenses related to staff being on the ground for the payout of the government’s cash grant for school children which is scheduled to begin today. The news has been described as unfair due to the fact that schools are yet to undertake any major fund raising activity due to the Covid pandemic.
Distribution of the government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant and the school uniform voucher for students in both the public and private education systems commences today in every region across the country.
“This year each child will get $30,000… Every child from Nursery to Secondary is entitled to this grant,” Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said on Friday during a live update on the Ministry’s Facebook page.
While the initiative is a commendable one, the Ministry’s treatment of teachers is very upsetting, says a head teacher, who wished to remain anonymous.
She told Stabroek News that the distribution of the cash grant is a MoE activity, yet schools are being told that the PTA will have to stand all expenses. Added to that, it was noted, that the distribution is happening during the school break.
“That is very unreasonable. We are now coming out of a pandemic,” the teacher said. Stabroek News was told that the Ministry will be providing the necessary support to staff of the Ministry.
This is unlike the previous occasion when teachers and other staff members were provided with snacks and meals. According to the head teacher, they would be on the ground from 7 am until probably around 7 pm and teachers were the ones who have been putting all the arrangements in place.
“The [Ministry’s] treatment of teachers is unfair,” she said.
The Ministry could not be reached for a comment yesterday. This year, the Government ‘Because We Care’ grant is valued $25,000 and the school uniform voucher is valued $5,000, meaning that a total of $30,000 would go to each child.
